Putnam communities to get $1.67M in road funding

The City of Greencastle and three Putnam County towns are recipients in the latest round of Community Crossings grants.

Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory received word Tuesday that the city has been awarded $761,186 in Community Crossings funds to carry out three projects this coming spring.

The street segments involved are as follows:

-- 10th Street/Round Barn Road – Indianapolis Road to city limits. Includes storm drainage, sidewalk on west side, curbs and pavement.

-- Wood Street – Washington Street to Tennessee Street. Includes storm drainage, sidewalk along the park, curbs and pavement.

-- Tennessee Street – Bloomington Street to Wood Street. Includes storm drainage, sidewalk along the park, curbs and pavement.

The Wood and Tennessee street portions of the work will serve to upgrade those areas in anticipation of the major U.S. 231 project that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is planning in either 2022 or 2023.

Meanwhile, also receiving grant funding were:

• Bainbridge, $559,815.75.

• Fillmore, $130,953.

• Roachdale, $224,370.

“The City of Greencastle appreciates the support of the governor and our legislative delegation that funds the Community Crossing program allowing us to make significant improvements to our community,” Mayor Dory told the Banner Graphic.

“The Community Crossings program,” Dory continued, “allows us to stretch our local funds and do more than just street resurfacing. The funding allows us to address storm drainage issues, add sidewalks and add curbs when undertaking these larger street projects.”

Greencastle will need to provide a 50 percent matching portion of its project, while the other towns will need to put up 25 percent.

The Fillmore project, as highlighted in a recent town council meeting, will include resurfacing of Putnam Street from South Main Street to County Road 475 East/Westwood Road, a distance of 0.8 miles.

The $130,953 grant amount leaves the town $43,651 to pay through the 75-25 match.

No information was available Thursday afternoon regarding the nature of the projects in Bainbridge and Roachdale.

Just across the border in Hendricks County, Coatesville also received $76,762.50.

Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness announced 241 Indiana cities, towns and counties received a combined $101 million in state matching funds for local road projects through Community Crossings, a component of the Governor’s Next Level Roads program.

“As we navigate through the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re as committed as ever to improving and building our state’s infrastructure,” Gov. Holcomb said. “I’m incredibly pleased that we’re able to fund all of the high-priority local road projects submitted in this round. Taking care of our local roads is key to making sure our communities remain attractive places to grow businesses and create careers.”

The Community Crossings Initiative has provided more than $830 million in state matching funds for construction projects.

In response to revenue uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, INDOT moved this call for projects, originally scheduled for July, to September.

The $101 million award is funded by the balance available in the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund at the end of the 2020 fiscal year as well as revenue collected so far in the 2021 fiscal year.

“This is a tremendous win for our local partners,” INDOT Commissioner McGuinness said. “Our continued partnership with Hoosier communities will deliver more high priority local road projects in the coming year, many of which have been in planning for months or even years and wouldn’t be able to move forward now without the state’s funding commitment.”

To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds, 50 percent for larger communities or 25 percent for smaller communities, from a funding source approved for road and bridge construction. They must also submit an INDOT-approved asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges. State lawmakers identified long-term funding for Community Crossings as part of House Enrolled Act 1002, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. in April 2017.